Server Of The Week

Jasmine Deatherage, 29, traded the perks of business ownership for the social benefits of serving dressed-up Latin fare at the swank Silver Lake taqueria Malo. Until a year and a half ago, Deatherage (yes, that's her real surname: "I wanted to be a football player when I was little so I could see my name on a jersey," she says) converted old books into handmade journals in Portland, Ore. Being her own boss proved lonely so she headed south looking for change. Malo's bustling, youthful scene suits her perfectly. "I love people and I love being near them," she says. Malo, 4326 Sunset Blvd., (323) 664-1011; www.bookjournals.com